Putin commented on Finland and Sweden in NATO and the attack on the mall
Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that Russia "will respond with the same measure" in the event of the establishment of NATO bases in Finland and Sweden.
As of today, Sweden and Finland are close to joining NATO, after Turkey lifted its veto on their entry.
Russian pro-regime agencies say Putin has said he does not rule out "new tensions" in Moscow's relations with Helsinki and Stockholm over Finland and Sweden's entry into NATO.
Russia is not attacking civilian targets
The Russian president has for the first time commented on a deadly Russian rocket attack on a shopping center in Kremenchuk, which killed 18 civilians and left 21 missing.
Putin said there was "no terrorist attack in Kremenchuk," adding that "Russia is not attacking civilian targets," Russian pro-regime media reported.
Zelenski: Russia is a terrorist state
As a reminder, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky today called Russia a "terrorist state" because of the attack.
Russia, meanwhile, claims the mall fire was caused by an attack on a weapons depot in the area, not by a direct attack on the mall. Russia's Defense Ministry said it had fired missiles at a weapons depot in the city and that the fire was caused by a subsequent explosion of ammunition.